


Cat and Mouse (Working Title)

by ACasualStarmie



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:42:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28814337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ACasualStarmie/pseuds/ACasualStarmie
Summary: Tsuyame Fujiwara is a dangerous woman tied to organized crime in the Far East and in Eorzea proper. It only makes sense for the woman to have enemies. After all, so many would benefit from the ending of her life. One such assassin attempts to claim the contract on Fujiwara's head. But, things never go according to plan, do they?
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Kudos: 4





	Cat and Mouse (Working Title)

_Fujiwara Estate_   
_Shirogane, Hingashi_

It was a quiet night. The sky was clear, and the moon hung brilliantly in the sky amidst a blanket of stars. The air was cool, crisp even, with the lightest of breezes passing by. The twelfth bell of the evening, midnight, had just passed. The Fujiwara estate, home to Tsuyame Fujiwara, was still lit. An eastern raised Viera, Tsuyame was the adoptive daughter of the merchant family of the same name. 

“Akane,” came the smooth voice of the Mistress of the house. She stood as tall as ever, arms folded across her chest, with a gentle smile gracing full lips. Amethyst eyes took in the sight of her hand maiden as she rushed over to answer the call. 

The Hyur she addressed, a girl of twenty summers rushed to bow before her employer. Barely five fulms, though just over if she stood on her tiptoes, Akane’s size was dwarfed by that of her Mistress. She brushed some of her brown locks aside. Then, she craned her neck upwards, her hazel eyes finding the face of the woman she served. 

“Yes, Mistress?” 

“You have done well, Akane, and I admire your dedication to your duties,” the Rava started, placing a hand on the handmaiden’s shoulder. “But it is late. Go, retire to your home. I will be returning to Eorzea at dawn so feel free to take tomorrow off.” 

“Are you just trying to get me out of the house to see one of your toys again?” Akane said, pouting playfully. “You never let me enjoy your playthings anymore…” 

To an outsider, one might think Akane disrespectful. But, with the way her Mistress laughed in response, it was more than clear that Tsuyame did not agree with that. 

“My dear Akane, are you jealous?” Tsuyame teased back, tapping her chin. 

Redness filled those cheeks and Akane looked away, finding a particular pattern on the couch to stare at. “I am not jealous,” the clearly jealous handmaiden answered, pouting even more. 

“Of course not,” Tsuyame mused, shaking her head. “Go visit the markets, or perhaps go and see a performance tomorrow.” The Rava punctuated her light-hearted order with a smile, patting the head of her employee. 

“I hope you will not be gone too long, Mistress,” Akane said, her blush starting to recede. She bowed once more at the waist and bade her employer farewell. 

“Do contact me via linkpearl when you arrive at your destination,” Tsuyame called after her, smiling as she watched Akane leave. The Viera moved to the door and clicked the lock shut. She turned her back to the door and started towards the steps, dimming the lights of the estate as she did. 

Akane breathed a sigh of relief once she was outside of the estate. She looked around, making sure that the courtyard was tidy, before making her way towards the gate. A chill shot through her, the stray hairs on her neck standing on end. That relief she felt vanished almost instantly. The Hyur felt like she was being watched, but from where, she could not tell. Unable to bear that feeling, the handmaiden hurried along, rushing towards the Kobai Goten Apartments. 

Though Akane did not know it, her intuition was spot on. She was being watched. Standing atop the roof, barely illuminated by the pale moon, was a figure clad in black. The mysterious one had a slender build, though not much else could be seen. Beneath the black mask was a pair of lavender eyes and peeking out from beneath the dark clothing, a long, ivory tail with horns to match. 

Once Akane had disappeared into the distance, the person leapt from the rooftop. With a cat-like grace, they landed on the stone path between the gate and the door. 

Nary a sound came from them as they moved towards the entrance to Tsuyame’s home. Silent footfalls and an almost inhuman speed guided the sneak against the door. Quickly, deftly, they picked the lock to the Fujiwara estate and slipped inside. 

The parlor was dark, devoid of any light, natural or otherwise. With careful steps, the intruder moved along the floor. Through the door they crept, slipping down the stairs. Not a single sound could be heard from the trespasser, nor were any sounds in the house. That is, they reached the outside of Tsuyame’s bedroom. 

“Akane?” the owner of the hosue said, her voice carrying beyond the paper door that blocked her room off. The sudden sound of the Rava’s voice made the infiltrator stiffen. “I trust you made it home safely?” 

A silent exhale of relief left the sneak. Their cover had not been blown, it seemed. Carefully, the black-clad person crept closer, leaning their horn against the door frame to eavesdrop. 

“Is that right?” Once again, Tsuyame’s voice carried to the outside of her room. It seemed like she was talking to someone via linkpearl, her handmaiden most likely. “Well, I am glad that you made it home.” The Rava chuckled softly and then added, “No, Akane. That will not be necessary. I will be fine.” 

A brief bit of silence followed, as Akane spoke. Though, whatever the young woman was saying to her employer, the thief could not make out. 

“Goodnight, Akane.” 

The conversation had ended. The sound of Tsuyame’s footsteps could be heard, moving about the bedroom. But, instead of the Mistress going to bed, she spoke again. This time, she spoke directly to the intruder in her home. 

“You can come out now, dear,” Tsuyame said, mirth permeating her tones. “There is no need to keep to the shadows, shinobi. I know you are there.” 

Beneath the mask, those pale purple eyes widened in surprise. But, rather than act as if the woman was wrong, the trespasser opted to stand tall and open the door. The ninja’s tail flitted about as they glared at the Rava. 

“An assassin,” Tsuyame chirped, almost cheerfully. “What a fun surprise. And which of my enemies has decided to send you to end my life, dear one?” 

The horned one did not reply. Not a sound came from them, save for the unsheathing of a weapon. A sword, though a bit shorter than a traditional katana. The would-be killer pointed it at Tsuyame, the intent already known. 

“Not the talkative type? How unfortunate,” the Viera mused. She moved to the side of her bed and fetched her own weapon. “Of course, there will be plenty of time for you to answer all of my questions when this silly little spat is done.” 

Tsuyame readied herself, unsheathing her sword and assuming her stance, the weapon above her head. She stared down her assassin, a wry smirk across her lips. The Mistress of the house tilted her blade downward, the point towards the infiltrator. 

A beat of silence. 

Then came a cry from the assassin. They rushed in, slashing at their mark. Tsuyame batted the attack away with ease, circling around to her enemy’s flank. 

“Come now,” the Rava said with a sigh, resuming her stance. “You can do better than that, dear. Let us try again?” The smirk was gone now, replaced with a colder expression. Serious, with deadly intent in her eyes. 

The shinobi whipped back around. Their eyes fixated on the Viera, weapon at the ready. The assassin moved their foot forward an ilm. Then another. And then, they lunged again, slashing at Tsuyame. 

This time, the samurai did not knock the blow away. Instead, she brought the blade up to meet steel with steel. She grunted softly, before exerting her strength to reverse her attacker’s momentum. 

The assassin spun with Tsuyame’s force, turning on one foot like a dancer. They brought their other foot around, the heel aiming at the Viera’s face. Not content to wait to see if the blow landed, the attacker whipped her sword around, intent on slashing her mark. 

But Tsuyame would not allow such a thing to come to pass. The samurai stepped onto her back foot, the heel of her would-be killer missing her face. She seemed to anticipate the coming of the weapon, though the blade got close enough to slice a few strands of her raven hair free. 

“You are sloppy, dear.” 

That was the only warning that Tsuyame gave the infiltrator. She jutted out her elbow, driving it into the jawline of her attacker, knocking them backwards with tremendous force. With the intruder off balance, Tsuyame moved in, thrusting her sword out with one hand. 

The woman was right; the ninja had gotten careless. Dazed and seeing stars, the shinobi stumbled back. They managed to right themselves enough to dodge what would have been a fatal attack. The ninja dropped low, allowing Tsuyame’s blade to stick into the wall above them, taking their mask with them.   
  
<Shit!> came a feminine voice as the fabric tore. 

The ninja was an Au Ra woman, a Raen, judging by the color of her scales. She had silver hair that framed a round face. Her expression was grave, eyes narrowed as they looked up at the Rava. 

“Well, well,” the Viera mused, looking down at the Raen, the smirk returning. Though she looked amused, that smirk did not reach her eyes. Those amethyst orbs of hers remained cold, distant even. 

Seizing her opening, the woman lashed out with her blade again. The air whistled as the steel swiped outward, intending to cut Tsuyame across her belly. 

_CLANG!_

Steel met steel again. Tsuyame had quickly drawn a second blade, hidden in her clothing most likely, and used it to protect her stomach. In a fluid motion, she lashed out with the small blade, stabbing it into her assassin’s shoulder. 

“ARGH!” the Raen cried out, pain searing her body. Her eyes clenched shut and she gritted her teeth, trying to bite down on the damage. She looked up at Tsuyame. Just in time to see the Rava’s fist coming down. 

_BAM!_

Tsuyame’s curled fist smashed into her attacker’s temple, drawing more blood. The pain was as intense as the sword stabbing through her shoulder. The Raen saw stars, before black covered her vision. She hit the ground, unconscious. 

Towering over her defeated enemy, the Rava pulled her sword from the wall. She glared down at the intruder, her wannabe killer, seemingly contemplating the idea of killing her outright. Those cruel eyes narrowed as a dark, cruel smile stretched across those painted lips of hers. 

“Oh, little ninja,” she mused, crouching down. She used her thumb to wipe a trickle of blood from the knocked-out Raen’s face. Tsuyame brought the digit to her lips and lapped at it, tasting the crimson lifeblood lingering there. “Oh, what a pretty bird you are. What a pretty song you will sing for me...” 

Malice permeated the tone of her laugh as she rose to her feet again. Turning her back to the Raen, Tsuya’s hand went up to her communications device and she began to speak. 

“Come to the estate,” she commanded, her order swift, barked to the unknown party. “Bring a few of the guards. I need someone moved to one of the warehouses.” Whoever was on the other end acknowledged the command. With a nod, Tsuyame cut the call. 

She laughed again, raucously, cruelly, the dark sound echoing in the bedchamber. The Viera sounded like a madwoman. 

“Oh, little sparrow,” Tsuyame mused, looking back over her shoulder at the Raen. “The fun we will have...” 

_-fin-_


End file.
